Forgotten Memories
by Chrome69-96
Summary: Arica D'Angelo has just moved to Namimori where she meets Tsuna and his 'family', but she's no ordinary girl. When she comes into contact with a certain silver haired teen, memories she has long since forgotten are starting to return. What will these memories uncover?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay!

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction I'm posting here so I really hope you like =D I've written a few before this one, but they're just sitting in my computer, gathering dust. This is the only one I feel most comfortable posting at the moment *sweatdrop*. Anyway, hope you enjoy and please review and tell me what you think!

Chapter 1

Yet another new town, another new school. She hated how those bastards dragged her around with them wherever they went when they received a new job. They never stayed in one place for more than a year and it pissed her off. Why couldn't they just leave her behind in Italy when they had to move to another country? Probably half of the schools on planet earth had had Arica D'Angelo's metaphorical footprints in their halls.

Arica stood at the front gate of her new school, gazing up at the building and the students milling around on the grounds, chatting and laughing happily. The girl took a deep breath and straightened herself as she began to walk towards the front doors. Some of the chattering of the groups closest to her died down a little and she could feel the curious, prodding eyes on her back as she passed, but Arica ignored them, eyes fixed on the entrance to Namimori Middle School.

Arica D'Angelo was a quiet girl most of the time. As she was walking towards the building, the eyes were making her nervous, but not the idea of entering a strange new school for the millionth time. She had been to so many schools before that she didn't even feel nervous anymore. Most kids entering a new school would worry about making friends or what other people will think of them, things like whether they'd be bullied or just ignored, etc. Arica didn't care about any of those things anymore. She was the kind of person who made friends without even trying; people never picked on her or really hated her for that matter. Teachers always liked her, though she didn't really care what they thought of her. Some might call that being a goody-two-shoe, but to her it was just acting normal, being herself.

Inside, a middle-aged lady welcomed her with a warm smile and explained to her the rules, the layout of school and all the other important things. Arica listened with half an ear, the other half taking in the movements and sounds of her surroundings; all those eyes on her were making her nervous and paranoid. When the woman had finally stopped talking, she handed the girl a small map of the school and pointed out her class and told her she should go see the principle before heading off. With a small thank you, Arica headed in the direction the lady pointed.

When she arrived at her destination, she gave the polished wooden door a few light taps. "Enter," a muffled voice called from the other side and she stepped inside. "Ah, good morning. You must be our new student, Arica D'Angelo," the principle said with a kind smile. "Welcome to Namimori."

"Yes, sir. It's nice to meet you," Arica replied with a small bow.

"Likewise," the man responded in kind, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, smile never wavering. "I have informed all the teachers that you're home language isn't Japanese, so they shouldn't be giving you any trouble, but you seem to be speaking it just fine. I've heard you're a very sharp young lady, so I'm sure you'll be just fine," he explained.

That was true, she didn't know much about the Japanese culture and ways, but at least her knowledge of the language wasn't non-existent like it would've been had _they_ not forced her to learn it for the past year or so. Arica returned his smile and replied, "You're too kind, sir. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it after a while. I'll do my best either way."

"That's good to hear. Do you perhaps know any students who can show you around and so on?" he continued with sincere concern and curiosity.

"Not yet, but I'm sure I will soon. From what I've heard and seen, the people here seem very nice." The last half of her answer wasn't true at all. She hadn't even spoken to any of the students yet, so she didn't know what they were like. And every school had its delinquents, but being negative towards the school wouldn't help her much. She's dealt with far worse than middle school bullies, anyway.

The older man chuckled. "Well then, that will be all. Don't hesitate to come to me or any of the teachers if you need anything." With another word of thanks, Arica headed in the direction of her homeroom class, glancing at her surroundings every now and then to memorize the way so that she didn't look like a complete retard with her nose stuck to a map the entire time. Arica found that almost all the students had disappeared. _Great, _the girl thought sarcastically as she followed the route on her small map.

She finally reached her destination and she stared up at the sign that read '2-A'. She realized that her dilly-dallying at the school gate and talk with the principle had taken more time than she thought. She could hear the teacher inside already busy taking roll-call and she sighed. The only thing she always _did_ worry about was walking in, in the middle of class, where everyone would stare at her even more than they originally did.

_Here goes nothing,_ she thought and knocked.

For once Tsuna was on time for school with a few minutes to spare.

It was thanks to Reborn, though, as the arcobaleno decided he wanted to have some fun early in the morning and threatened Tsuna with the 1ton hammer. He was on his feet just as the hammer hit his pillow where his head had been a split second before. "Your reflexes have improved, Dame-Tsuna," the hitman smirked as he put the hammer back to…wherever it came from in the first place.

"Reborn!" the teen shouted at his tutor as he cradled his head in fear. "You're going to kill me one of these days! And what do you mean my 'reflexes have improved'; anyone would react like that when they're about to have their skull smashed by a 1ton hammer!"

"Stop your whining and get ready for school," Reborn said, completely ignoring the boy's complaints as he walked out the door towards the kitchen. "Do you want to get bitten to death for being late again like yesterday? And the day before, and before that…"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Tsuna said miserably as he rushed around his room to gather his school uniform. He cringed at the thought of the beating he had received from Hibari and his tonfas the previous day and absentmindedly rubbed his head where a large bump had been. He momentarily paused in his tracks and stared out the door where the infant had been a moment ago. Reborn woke him up so he could be on time for school and not get beat up by Hibari…maybe the Arcobaleno really _did_ care for him.

Shaking his head, he finished up before running down the steps to grab some breakfast. When he arrived he nearly cried out in misery as he saw there was only one slice of toast left.

"Gyahaha!" came the loud, obnoxious laugh and Lambo could be seen running around the table, weaving through everyone's legs. "Lambo-san is so full after eating all Baka-Tsuna's breakfast!" he exclaimed loudly, sticking his tongue in the aforementioned boy's direction.

"Lambo! Not nice!" I-pin called after her hysterical friend as she chased his around the room.

The cow-child ignored her and the young Vongola boss watched as he leapt onto the table right next to Reborn who was calmly nibbling his omelet, sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper. "Reborn! Give Lambo-san your food or die!" the Thunder guardian yelled, pointing a threatening finger at the arcobaleno's face while holding aloft a pink grenade in the other.

Tsuna began to freak out upon seeing the grenade until Reborn took Leon, who morphed into a giant paddle, and whacked Lambo so hard he went flying out the window, all without looking up from his paper. An explosion was heard in the yard and the house shook. No one seemed to pay attention to it anymore since it was a daily occurrence at the Sawada residence.

"Morning, Tsu-kun!" Nana said cheerily, seemingly oblivious to what just happened. "If you don't mind waiting a little longer I could make you something; Lambo-chan was just so hungry."

Tsuna glanced at the wall clock. "No thanks, Mom, I'll be late." The brunette grabbed the piece of toast just as Lambo crawled back through the window, his hair smoking and his cow-print suit blackened. "I'm going!" That said the youngster rushed out the door as he yelled his goodbyes over his shoulder. Only a few feet from his front door, he heard two pairs of footsteps rushing towards him from behind.

"Juudaime!" the excited voice of his Storm guardian called out to him and he glanced over to see his friend running up to him with a large grin on his face. "Good morning, Juudaime."

"Yo, Tsuna," said another and the boy saw his Rain guardian come out from behind Gokudera and draping a casual arm over Tsuna's shoulders.

"Good morning, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto," Tsuna greeted his friends and they continued on their way to school. The younger sweat dropped as he practically felt Gokudera's mood shift before he went off like a time bomb as he yelled at Yamamoto not to 'address the Tenth so casually' or otherwise he's going to stick his dynamite somewhere the swordsman would find very uncomfortable, while the latter only laughed and countered with a few good-hearted jabs of his own.

Tsuna smiled fondly as he listened to his friends' bickering the entire trek to school. Once they reached the gates, he breathed a silent sigh of relief when the dark-haired prefect was nowhere to be seen – he didn't much desire a twin for the bump on the back of his head. They took their seats, just as the bell rang, and Tsuna mentally thanked Reborn for waking him early even though it was life threatening. The teacher came in and greeted them before setting up his things and taking out the class list, starting roll call.

The teacher was halfway through his list when a knock at the door interrupted him. He excused himself and went to check who it was. No one was paying any attention to him or the person at the door. A few boys were already starting to doze off and school hasn't even started yet – Yamamoto being one of them. Some girls were talking to each other in whispers, while others were passing notes or getting their books ready for first period. Gokudera was leaning back in his seat with his feet on his desk, as usual. Tsuna decided that he'll also get ready for math and took out his books.

"Can I have your attention class," said the teacher as he came back with a smile on his face. "I would like to introduce you to a new student. She's from Italy and doesn't know much Japanese, so please be nice to her and help her. This is D'Angelo Arica. You can come in now, dear."

A girl entered the room and went to stand in front of the class. Tsuna nearly dropped his pencil, along with nearly every other boy in the room, as they looked at her. Everyone's attention was now in the same place, except Gokudera, though, who acted like he didn't notice anything.

The girl was about 5'2". Her brown hair barely brushed her shoulders, a slight wave in it. Her skin wasn't pale, but it wasn't much tanned either, just barely sun-kissed, and is looked as smooth as porcelain, flawless. Her eyes seemed to change color from blue green to a bright forest-green to an almost silvery color, like moonlight. Her lips were full and a natural light red color – they also looked smooth and flawless. The uniform fit her figure perfectly and Tsuna could see she was thin – a healthy thin – and lithely built by the looks of it. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous like a world famous model, but she wasn't completely average either.

Everyone who was previously dozing off was now wide awake as they took in the new girl; even the girls were staring at her, though in jealousy it seemed. The girl – Arica – didn't seem to be bothered much by all the stares as she smiled lightly at everyone and said, "It's nice to meet you all." Her voice was soft and sweet and made some guys even swoon. Tsuna wanted to strangle himself as he realized that he was checking out a girl other than Kyoko, and he hated to admit it, but this Arica rivaled even Kyoko-chan's beauty, at least to him.

"The only open seat we have at the moment is in the back, next to Sawada-san," the teacher said, pointing at the open seat next to Tsuna. He could hear some students scoff and whisper, 'Poor Arica-chan' and 'Why does it have to be that Dame-Tsuna'. He blushed as he heard this, turning even redder when he saw her already making her way towards him. When she sat down their eyes met and she gave him a small smile.

"Uh, hi," Tsuna stuttered uncertainly, holding out a hand before he could stop himself. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, Tsuna for short, o-or Dame-Tsuna." Why was he telling her this! It's not like she's ever going to talk to him! She hesitated a moment before taking his hand and shaking it with another smile. Her skin felt as smooth as it looked. He blushed again once he dropped her hand and glanced over at Kyoko. To his relief she wasn't looking their way.

The first period started and most of the students turned their attention to the lesson, while others would glance Arica's way every few minutes. Tsuna did his best not to pay any attention to her presence and focused on the jumble of numbers the teacher was explaining. Even while he tried to concentrate on the hell going by the name of math, his intuition tingled. Something felt off about this girl, but he didn't know what or why.

Everyone's eyes were on her, like always. That was the only thing she really hated about coming to a new school. Just a few days or weeks and the students will start to ignore her; they always did when they realized she had no intention of accepting any of their advances.

There was one boy, however, whom she noticed wasn't paying any attention to her. His head was bowed as if he was sleeping or just too lazy to even lift it. His feet were up on the desk and she immediately pegged him as a troublemaker. But that silver colored hair seemed familiar somehow. She could've sworn she'd seen it somewhere before…but she couldn't remember. He didn't look Japanese either; was he a transfer student like her? Maybe she had seen him around Italy some time, though that was almost an impossible coincidence. He never looked up once the entire time, and the teacher would throw him a dirty look ever so often but didn't even bother to say anything.

The one next to her seemed shy, Sawada Tsunayoshi. The name sounded vaguely familiar too but, once again, she couldn't put her finger on it. She couldn't deny that she was at least a tiny bit happy though; he was the first person to even acknowledge her in a friendly way. Even though he was blushing so furiously, she didn't sense love, only childish fascination which she got from a lot of people in the class and her previous schools. She also didn't miss the glances he sent the pretty girl sitting two desks in front of her.

She listened attentively as the teacher wrote a few problems on the board for them to work out in their books. She was done with all ten in less than five minutes. She noticed the silver haired guy hadn't even moved and the teacher was about to pop a vein, before noticing her drifting eyes.

He came over and smiled. "Do you need any help?"

"No thank you, sensei. I'm already finished," she replied with a smile of her own as she heard some kids around her gasp and look her way. Even the delinquent's ear cocked her way just a fraction so he could hear the conversation. Apparently, the problems they were given were some of the hardest the teacher could dig up for their standards.

"A-already?" the man stuttered a bit. "Do you mind if I…" he trailed off, pointing at her book. She handed it over and his eyes scanned over them for a few seconds before handing it back. "C-correct. All of them. Well, looks like you will have no problem at all here at Namimori." He then walked away to check on the other students.

"Wow, Arica-chan is really smart," the boy next to her, Tsuna, remarked. She looked over to see him blush and fiddling with his pencil, his page still blank.

"Would you like some help with that?" she asked politely, pointing at his book.

"Oh, um! T-that's okay," he rushed to decline and she raised a brow at him, making him blush harder. "I-I mean, I already have a tutor a-and Gokudera-kun helps me, too, s-so…I don't want to bother you."

"It's no bother, but if that's how you feel…" she said with a light shrug before turning back to the front, only to be met with a shadowed gaze. As soon as their eyes met he turned away and went back to shutting out his surroundings.

The first period ended and the second began; so it went until lunch. During those few hours she learned quite a few things. Like where Tsuna got the title of 'Dame-Tsuna'. The poor boy was really horrible in all the subjects so far and she kind of felt sorry for him, but whenever she would offer help, he would turn it down with the same excuse. Who was 'Gokudera-kun' anyway? He must've been something to be able to help the boy so much.

She also learned that the silver haired delinquent was a bother to all of the teachers and ignored every subject. So far, only one of the teachers called him out for not listening and to sit properly, only to be answered with an irritated 'Tch'.

When lunch finally rolled by, everybody jumped up to rush over to Arica. They buzzed around her like a swarm of bees, eager to know everything about her and Tsuna even jumped out of his seat to avoid being trampled on. It was making her a little uncomfortable, all the crowding and questions.

"Are you really from Italy?" someone asked.

"Why did you come here?" one girl questioned, trying to push her way to the front.

Before she even had time to answer, a boy rushed out, "Do you have a boyfriend?" He was blushing and his friends were congratulating him, slapping his back and admiring his amount of guts.

"Are all Italians this gorgeous? Gokudera-kun is Italian too…" another girl swooned and went off to dreamland, causing a whole new wave of questions to erupt. That question had caught Arica's attention though. _Gokudera-kun…as in Tsuna's Gokudera-kun?_ So that person was Italian, huh? Even more reason for her to be curious as to who this person was.

Arica fidgeted a little more, glancing around to see if she could find a way to escape her body-made prison. Two blobs of black and silver caught her and she saw the delinquent and another tall, black-haired boy make their way towards Tsuna, side stepping and ignoring all the squealing students. She frowned slightly; were they going to bully the small boy? It would make sense, both are much taller and stronger-looking than him…

"Juudaime, where do you want to eat today?" the silvette said, giving Tsuna a large grin. Okay, so they were friends…what a weird combination. Wait. Juudaime…? Why would he call him that?

"Don't we always have lunch on the roof…?" the dark haired teen asked, looking at the other in confusion while scratching his head. Arica realized throughout the day that he was a slacker who liked to sleep during class.

"No one asked you, baseball freak, I was talking to Juudaime!" the other snapped.

"C-calm down, Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto has a point…" Tsuna cut in, laughing nervously, trying to calm them down.

_That's_ Gokudera? She thought in surprise. The way Tsuna talked, she imagined him to be a smart, mature, and good-mannered kid or man. Definitely not _this_ delinquent. And if he was Gokudera, then he was the Italian, right? She knew he wasn't Japanese! Well, either way it had nothing to do with her and this was the time she would stand and head for the door but the millions of chattering mouths hadn't shut up yet and it felt as if they were closing in on her.

She caught Tsuna's eye and the boy seemed to notice her discomfort – the fidgeting fingers, the slightly panicked eyes – and he hesitated a moment longer. _She had been nice to me even though she barely knew my name and she didn't mock me either upon finding out how _dame_ I am, _Tsuna thought, watching his new acquaintance get mobbed. It was the least he could do for her.

"Uh, Arica-chan!" a hesitant voice called out, making the other students quiet down to look at him in surprise and suspicion. "I-if you'd like, you can sit with us at lunch. T-that's if you don't have somewhere else to be, of course! We could show you around school, i-if you'd like…" Tsuna rushed, fiddling with his hands as he stared at the ground, trying to ignore all the loathing gazes he was receiving.

"What?" the teen, who was apparently Gokudera, exclaimed in disbelief. "Juudaime, is that a good idea? We don't know anything about this…this _girl_." The last word was spat as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Maa maa, Gokudera, don't be so mean," the dark-haired teen, presumably Yamamoto, said as he sent her a friendly grin. "What harm can it do? Tsuna wants to do something nice for her and I don't see the problem. What can there possibly be to worry about?" _Famous last words?_

There was silence as Gokudera glared at her for another second before sighing and bowing his head in defeat. "…If Juudaime wishes it."

She was shocked. This boy, who has barely known her for four hours, was inviting her to spend lunch with them. Yamamoto, whose name she learned only a few minutes ago, was even encouraging it and convincing the bad-tempered one to accept it. Yes, she was good at making friends, but this was somehow different. Usually it would be a bunch of girls she hung out with, the boys were always too nervous to ask her to be friends, most of them were just plain perverts. But this was…different, for lack of a better word. The students were stunned into complete, dead silence.

"Y-you don't have to i-if you don't want to; it was just a suggestion," Tsuna hurried to reassure her and she realized she had been staring at them in surprise for a minute or so too long. "I mean, it's not like–"

"I would like that," she said softly, affectively cutting the boy's rambling short and hearing a collective gasp from her 'fan club'. She was a bit surprised at this answer herself, but something just drew her towards these people… The names sounded familiar and Gokudera kind of looked familiar too, but she was never good at remembering names or faces she hadn't dealt with for at least a few weeks. He was Italian, like her, so maybe that's why: the company of another like her, so she didn't feel too left out in this new culture and way of living. Maybe it was just her imagination; that happened a lot. Or paranoia, considering the life she was born into and the lectures that were drilled into her since she was little.

A minute or so passed before the boys snapped out of it and started for the door. Arica stood up and the students instantly made a path for her. As she passed, the brunette heard a few whispers about 'Hanging with the wrong crowd', but she didn't pay much attention as she followed behind her new…friends.

A/N: And that's the end of chapter one. I already have a lot more chapters written, but I want to hear from you guys if it's worth it. I promise the story gets a looooot more interesting hehe, though I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter. I have to borrow a friend's internet, you see, so that could cause complications…but rest assured it'll be there eventually. Have a nice day! And Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay! (And any other characters you don't recognize.)

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys; if I had my own internet I'd probably upload a chapter once a week or so. But it's here now =D Anyway, I saw the page breaks I put in didn't show up in the first chapter so I apologize for any confusion on the switching POVs. A special thanks to **Orpheus** for being my very first reviewer and to **Ill elemental **and **Shimoo **for favoriting and following. You guys rock!

**WARNING: **This chapter contains domestic violence. In hindsight, I probably should've rated this fic M because of this and language… Ah well, I can change it later if it really bothers any of you – just let me know via review.

Without further ado, on with the story!

Chapter 2

The entire two minutes' walk to the roof, Arica felt a heated glare on her back. She didn't need to look to know who it was coming from. She frowned to herself as she wondered what could possibly have made this guy dislike – if not _hate_ – her so much. They haven't even spoken a word to each other yet, he didn't know anything about her! When they arrived at their spot, Gokudera seemed to make sure that she sat as far away from Tsuna as possible while he took a seat close to the boy's right.

"It sure is a nice day today," Tsuna said, taking a deep breath of the fresh air and exhaling with a blissful smile. She just smiled and nodded along with Yamamoto, while Gokudera enthusiastically agreed with his 'Juudaime'. Arica found this very curious: he seemed so cold towards his surroundings, but when it came to Tsuna, he acted like an obedient, energetic little puppy. Interesting.

They took out their lunches and Arica stared at hers with distaste as she glanced at the note on top. Without reading it, she snatched it up, crushed it in her fist and threw it to the side. It got snatched up by the wind and was carried off into the distance. She felt an intense gaze on her, but ignored it.

"Aaah," Tsuna suddenly cried and her eyes snapped back to him to see what was wrong. "I could've sworn I packed my lunch this morning! First Lambo eats my breakfast, now my lunch is gone too! Why does it always happen to me?"

"That stupid cow, treating the Tenth like that!" Gokudera growled, clenching his fists in anger. "I bet he took the Tenth's lunch too! I swear I'm going to blow that fucking brat up when I see him again! I would offer you my lunch, but I didn't bring any today. I'm so sorry, Juudaime!" he exclaimed, his mood instantly changing as he began to bow so feverously that his head slammed into the ground a few times, making them all winch. _That's gonna leave a mark._

Arica raised her brows at his behavior and language, but Tsuna didn't seem to notice much as he tried to prevent the apologizing boy from cracking his skull. Yamamoto frowned as he looked at his own food and said, "There wasn't much leftover sushi, so I didn't bring extra as I usually do… sorry, Tsuna." Gokudera was just about to pounce on the dark-haired boy, when Arica decided to speak up.

"You can have mine," she said as she held her food out to Tsuna who looked at her in surprise.

"Um, that's okay," he declined nervously, waving his hands in dismissal. "I'm not really that hungry, really! Anyway, there's just a couple more hours of school left; I'll get something when I go home. You guys don't have to–" He was cut off by his stomach rumbling.

Arica raised a delicate brow at him before placing her lunch in his lap. "You're a really bad liar and your stomach seems to agree with me. Eat it. I'm not really in the mood for food today."

Gokudera flew up from where he was sitting and hovered over the girl, a dark aura surrounding him. "Who are you to insult the Tenth like that? You have no right to order him around either!" His hand delved under his jacket and Tsuna seemed to pale as he quickly grabbed his friend's hand.

"G-Gokudera-kun! Stop, you can't do that here!" the boy panicked as he tried in vain to calm the temperamental teen down. "She'll get hurt and think about what Hibari-san will do if we destroy his school again!"

"Let the bastard come, then!" he snapped, but reluctantly took his place again, crossing his arms and bowing his head so that his face was hidden by the shadows of his hair.

Yamamoto just laughed at their antics as he began to eat. Tsuna heaved a relieved sigh and reluctantly took the lunch given to him. After another confirmation from Arica, he dug in and there was silence. What was Gokudera about to do? Destroy the school _again_? Who was Hibari? So many questions were swimming through her mind. She was glad to have had an excuse to get rid of the food though. Anything made by that pig made her want to throw up as soon as she saw it, or even thought of it. The stupid notes he added didn't help much with the 'throwing up' concept.

Lunch ended and the group made their way back to class. The remaining periods passed by quickly and uneventful and soon it was time to go home. Arica never looked forward to that, but she had no choice. If she stayed away, they were sure to have a search party out looking for her in a matter of minutes and she would be punished. If she arrived late, she was punished. When she came home, he would be all over her and that is as good as torture. Either way, it was bad, at least for her.

"See you tomorrow, Arica," Yamamoto called after her as she took the opposite direction of her newly acquired friends. She looked back to see the baseball player and Tsuna wave at her while Gokudera stood with his back to her. She replied with a small wave of her own before slowly making her way home. She was in no real hurry.

The girl walked through the front door about half an hour later and started for the spiral staircase that led to her room. She was stopped in her tracks by a voice from the opposite side of the room. "You didn't think you would escape before saying hello, did you?"

Jaw clenching for a brief second, Arica turned to face him. She forced a smile and stood her ground as he neared her. "Ricardo," she greeted stiffly when he reached her, grinning like he always did. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought he was related to Bel. His short, blonde hair seemed to glow in what little light made it into the room, his green eyes sparkling with twisted thoughts. (**AN: imagine Orlando Bloom as a teen and you'll pretty much get the idea of what Ricardo looks like**)

"Welcome back, my dear," he whispered in her ear as he cupped her cheek gently. His breath on her ear and neck sent a shiver down her spine – and _not_ the good kind. "How was your first day at school? Make any new friends?"

"It was fine, and yes, as a matter of fact, I did. They seem nice enough. Well, except one boy who ignores me like the plague," she mumbled, not sure if she should have said that, seeing as Ricardo always misunderstood things. She pushed him away roughly, frowning. "Why don't you go to school, maybe you'll learn how to be more human." She knew she shouldn't have said this, but the temptation was too great – he was asking for it and leaving her an opportunity at every turn.

The boy's smile turned to a scowl, marring his handsome features. He lashed out and grabbed the front of Arica's uniform, pulling her closer so their noses were merely millimeters apart. She remained calm and just stared at him as he fumed. "Bitch, how dare you speak to me like that? And don't question my actions. We're in Japan on a very important mission; I don't have time for something as trivial as school. I'm only sending you there because you're in the way and because your father requested it. The only thing you're good for is keeping the alliance between our families…and an outlet for my anger."

With that said he pulled back his free fist and punched Arica right in the face. He let go of her shirt and the impact sent her tumbling onto the steps behind her. If he had put any more force behind the hit, it probably could've shattered her cheekbone. She didn't cry out; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, and she was used to this. She just lay there, staring up at him, that disgusting grin back on his face.

"And what was this about some boy ignoring you? You sounded a bit disappointed… Don't go whoring yourself out to other men, otherwise there _will_ be a few broken bones next time." With one last well-aimed kick to her side, he stalked off towards his office, hands casually stuck in his suit pockets.

A few seconds passed before another man came rushing to her side, bending down to examine her injuries. "Boss, are you alright?" he inquired in a panicked tone, as he examined her, trying to figure out if it was okay to move her.

She gave him a reassuring smile, ignoring the pain the shot through her face as best she could. "I'm fine, Andrew; just the usual. And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'boss'; Ricardo will kill you."

The dark-haired man scoffed as he lifted Arica in his arms and headed for her room. "I don't care what he does to me as long as it ends with me serving you, Boss. You can't honestly expect me to call _him_ boss when I was employed by _your_ father. He placed me at _your_ side, therefore _you_ are my boss." Andrew frowned in irritation and anger as his eyes fell on the forming bruise on her cheek. "Why do we have to cooperate with them anyway? Why don't you tell your father what this man does to you?"

She sighed and closed her eyes as they finally arrived at her room and she was placed gently on her bed. Andrew pulled up her shirt a fraction to inspect the second bruise on her side, making sure nothing was broken and no vitals have been damaged. "You think I haven't tried already? Father doesn't believe me, he doesn't believe that Ricardo can do anything wrong. All he cares about is the alliance between our families. He believes the Mariani Famiglia has turned over a clean slate, and all because of Ricardo's nice words, supposed manners and charming smile. He thinks the boy is an angel sent from heaven. More like a soul of the damned kicked out of hell itself."

"But we – your subordinates – can speak to your father as well, Boss, as witnesses," Andrew insisted. "If we all tell him what he does to you, he should believe us. He can't ignore–"

"That won't change things. He will just think I ordered you all to tell him this. It's useless," Arica sighed again, thankful that these people were willing to stand up for her, but she knew it was a futile attempt to reason with that stubborn man.

"What about running away?" Andrew tried again. Arica smiled to herself at the man's insistence. "I know it would look cowardly, but it's something. We could easily overpower the Mariani forces in Japan if we launch a surprise attack. We–"

"Ricardo knows I hate it here, he would be prepared for an attack. He might think I'm good for nothing, but he still doesn't overlook me as a threat. And if we manage to get away, where would we go? He will hunt us down and not hesitate to kill us, and he's a great liar, which means he will spin a very realistic tale to my thickheaded father. Staying here is the only option. At least this causes a few bruises, sometimes broken bones, but it's better than being dead."

"You've made up your mind, haven't you?" the man grumbled, only to receive a sleepy smile. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "One thing I still don't understand though is why Ricardo is in charge of this house and mission, and not you. The Rinaldi Family is, after all, higher ranked than the Mariani Family. You could order a full out massacre on them if you wanted, or at least on those in this house."

Arica turned on her good side, her back to the man. She did not have the strength for this right now. "I'm tired. Will you bring my dinner up to my room later, Andrew?" Arica closed her eyes again and cleared her mind of all unpleasant things, falling asleep within minutes.

Andrew stared at the sleeping form of his boss for a few more minutes before whispering to himself, "Why do you let him hurt you, Arica? Why don't you at least fight back like we all know you can?" He shook his head and exited the room, planning on calling the rest of the Rinaldi Famiglia to a private meeting. He can't let this continue. They had to come up with a plan. He wasn't sure if his boss had already thought of this – and if he had to take a wild guess, she had – but it wouldn't hurt to make sure everyone else knew before he confirmed with her.

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Tsuna was sitting in his room along with Gokudera and Yamamoto. The bomber was helping them with their math homework, which struck the young Vongola as strange; Gokudera hadn't snapped at the baseball player once since they left school. Tsuna knew there was something bothering his friend, but wasn't sure if he should intrude on his privacy.

"Gyahaha! Lambo-san wants to play!" the five-year old yelled as he came bursting into the room, jumping onto the table and scattering some papers.

"Lambo, stop!" I-pin said as she chased her friend, trying to drag him away from the teenagers.

"Ahodera! Lambo-san wants candies! Gimme, gimme, gimme!" the little cow yelled while he ran circles around the Storm who was sitting closest to the door Lambo had come in from.

Tsuna stood ready to pry the kid from Gokudera's hands like he usually had to, but the bomber just glared at the cow. He got up, caught the little hitman by the scruff of his neck and threw him out the door before closing it and going back to his seat. Tsuna exchanged a glance with his Rain guardian before watching Gokudera reassemble the papers.

He cleared his throat awkwardly before trying to speak. "Erm… G-Gokudera-kun, a-are you feeling alright?"

The teen glanced up at his boss in confusion, seemingly unaware of his own actions. "Of course, Juudaime, why do you ask?"

"Well, uhm…you seem to be a bit…distracted today," Tsuna answered as he scratched his head. "You're pretty quiet and didn't yell at Yamamoto or Lambo so far…"

The Storm frowned as he seemed to realize the same. The frown deepened into a scowl and he started to fiddle with a cigarette. "I'm sorry, Juudaime. I think I should get going; I…don't feel so good, maybe I should just go lie down." He stood and gathered his things and with a final goodbye strode out of the house, the cigarette now lit in his mouth. Tsuna knew that meant that he was either expecting a fight, or that he was going to vent his feelings by blowing random stuff up. Whichever it was, neither were good.

There was a minute of silence before Yamamoto decided to voice his thoughts. "He's been acting weird since this morning, even weirder during lunch… Do you think it has anything to do with Arica?"

Tsuna blinked at him in surprise. He sounded so serious for once. The young boss couldn't blame him though; they were both concerned over their friend, even if said friend usually just insults and threatens other people, like Yamamoto. The other thing that surprised him was the suggestion the baseball player had just made.

"Eh? Arica-chan? Why would she be the cause of this? She's just another girl like the others in our class, which he all treats the same," Tsuna said slowly, not knowing what made his friend say this. Arica seemed pretty normal and kind to him, just like Kyoko-chan and Haru.

"So you haven't noticed?" the swordsman asked in disbelief as Tsuna shook his head in confusion. "The way he acts when she's around, all defensive and aggressive. He never threatens any of the other girls like he did her today. And at lunch, he kept staring at her, as if trying to figure something out – like those puzzles and mysteries he always likes to solve – or like he was expecting her to attack us or something. It all started when she was introduced to the class."

_Wow_, was all Tsuna could think as he stared dumbfounded at the other boy. He knew Yamamoto was really smart if he only tried, but he didn't expect him to be this observant and knowing towards others' feelings. But now that Tsuna thought about it, he did notice those things; he just didn't pay any closer attention to them. He had caught the slight stiffening of Gokudera's body when Arica had introduced herself, though he didn't connect the two. What kind of friend and – as much as he loathed it – future boss was he if he didn't even pick up on his friends' problems and feelings? Should he chase after Gokudera and try to find out what was going on, or should he leave the bomber to figure things out on his own? He thought that leaving Gokudera to his own devices might force him to do something reckless, like the training for the Ring Battle where he almost blew himself up countless of times, or when they were sent to the future and the bomber spent countless sleepless hours trying to figure out the Sistema CAI.

Tsuna's thoughts were interrupted by a tiny, commanding voice calling his name. "Oi, Dame-Tsuna! It's almost dinner time; Mama wants to know if Yamamoto will join us."

"He's right there, why don't you ask him yourself?" he asked the baby, annoyed. The hitman just smirked and waited for an answer.

Yamamoto, as usual, just laughed, his serious demeanor all but forgotten. "Thanks, kid, but I promised the old man I'd help with a large order for tomorrow." He gathered his things and rushed out the door, "See you tomorrow, Tsuna."

They watched him go and Reborn turned back to face Tsuna, his smile gone. "Just leave him be for the moment. He'll probably come to you on his own if he really wants to talk. Normally, I'd say it's your duty as a boss to take care of your Family, but sometimes they have to learn from their own mistakes and feelings." He turned and headed to the kitchen, leaving a stunned Tsuna staring at the spot where he had been a second ago.

He knew who Reborn meant, but half of what he said didn't make any sense. During the countless months they had spent together, he came to accept the fact that the small hitman knew things he wasn't supposed to and that 80% of what he said didn't make any sense. Trying to figure any of it out gave him a headache, so he went down for dinner, deciding that Reborn was probably right. But he knew Gokudera would most likely keep to himself, because he wouldn't want to bother 'the Tenth' with his 'menial problems'.

Tsuna sighed and decided that he'll give the hot-blooded Italian a few days, and if he still acted strange he would ask him about it. For now, he just had to wait and observe.

A/N: End of chapter two! Please review! If you do I might update a lot sooner (I'll figure something out). Hmm, maybe I'll sneak it onto the school's computer… *evil smirk*

Oh, and should any of the characters say 'gods', like in the plural, it's because I'm a huge fan of Greek myth and Percy Jackson, where they use that form a lot, so…yah, I pretty much got used to using it. Until next time, ciao ciao!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay! (And any other characters you don't recognize.)

A/N: I'm so glad there are actually people who read this \(^o^)/ Chapter 3 has arrived! Thanks to **Ill elemental **for the review and to **Sweetcookies82 **for the fav and follow *doing happy dance* and also to those who read and don't review or fav or follow. I won't lecture you or threaten you or anything like I've seen some authors do (scary shit that), 'cause I completely know where you're coming from – I do it too sometimes, guilty as charged *nervous chuckle*

On with the story! Hope the wait was worth it and enjoy!

Chapter 3

The following morning when Arica woke up, the first thing she did was look in the mirror to see how bad the bruise was. The swelling wasn't that bad since Andrew sent someone with some ice to look after her when she had fallen asleep. As long as no one stares at her for too long or too closely, they wouldn't even notice it. The purple-blue splotch, however, was a bit harder to ignore. She sighed and got out her cover-up. She never really wore make-up – hell, she didn't even own any except for the cover-up she used only for these situations and maybe a tube or two of lip-gloss – but she noticed that the container in her hand was nearing empty and she had only bought it last month.

After taking care of her face, she inspected the fairly larger splotch on her side, just below her ribcage. It was sensitive to the touch and she flinched slightly as her uniform slid over it. She had to be careful with what she did at school if she wanted to stay inconspicuous. Stupid Ricardo. Just the name sent shivers of hate down her spine. If she could, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him, but it wasn't as easy as that.

Gathering up her things, the brunette silently made her way downstairs. She entered the kitchen to grab an apple for breakfast and her lunch box. Not wanting to stay long enough for him to catch her by any chance, she rushed out the door and towards school. When the building appeared in front of her, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his men probably wouldn't ambush her in there.

There was still fifteen minutes left before the bell rang and she didn't spot anyone she knew, so decided to get to class early. There were a few groups of students milling about in the halls, but most of them were still outside waiting for friends or just enjoying the outdoors. Arica entered the classroom and didn't bother to close the door behind her since the other students will be arriving in a few minutes. She plunked into her chair with another sigh, deciding to rest her eyes for a few minutes, and laid her head on her arms, careful not to rub the make-up off.

About two minutes passed in peace before the devil walked in. She heard the footsteps enter and then abruptly come to a halt. There was another minute of silence as she felt the heated gaze on her, then the footsteps came rushing in her direction and her head snapped up just before his hands slammed down on her desk.

"You could've hit me," she said calmly to the fuming teen. His jaw was clenched and he was glaring daggers right through her.

"Like I care," he spit back, and Arica was a little surprised that he actually answered her; usually he just blatantly ignored her.

"Well, good morning to you too," the girl mumbled, before glancing behind him. "Where're Tsuna and Yamamoto? Aren't you always with them?"

"That's none of your business," he ground out, still towering over her and glaring. "I came here early hoping I would run into you. I just came to warn you: the Tenth might trust you, but I don't. I didn't want to do this in front of him, because he would stop me. I don't know who you are and why I get this feeling, but something about you feels off, and it's my duty to make sure nothing happens to the Tenth. Don't come near him!"

"Causing such a ruckus," said a new voice from the door. It sounded calm and pissed off at the same time, which Arica thought was quite an accomplishment. Both of them turned to face the stranger, Arica curious and Gokudera glaring. The boy had short, black hair that partially hung in his face, a scowl and glare in place. His school blazer was draped over his shoulders, a badge on the sleeve read 'Disciplinary Committee'. In one hand he carried what looked like a tonfa. "And threatening students. I should bite you to death."

Gokudera growled as he faced the new arrival. "Just try, you fucking bastard; I'll blow you to hell!" He reached somewhere inside a pocket and brought out a handful of dynamite and a lighter. Arica raised a brow at this, wondering if the school knew their students brought weapons to school, and why they didn't find it on inspection days.

The black-haired teen raised his tonfa, ready to lunge, while the other flipped on his lighter, ready to light the dynamite. Arica didn't want to get caught in the crossfire or potentially die today, so she stood and stepped forward. "Fighting here won't make anything better. If you attack him," she started, looking at the stranger, "he'll throw the bombs and there would be an even greater ruckus and threat towards the other students, seeing as they're all heading to class now. Also, if you fight, school property would be damaged and that isn't something the Disciplinary Committee would want, now is it?"

Both of them stopped and stared at her. The prefect straightened, a look of surprise flashing through his eyes, but it was gone when Arica blinked. Gokudera paused and eventually stuffed the bombs and lighter back into his pocket. She saw student crowding outside the door behind the prefect, trying to see what was going on. Finally, the prefect huffed, his eyes shooting to the brunette with a hint of interest before turning on his heel to exit. He raised a tonfa threateningly and the crowd scrambled out of the way.

Silence followed and Arica got a bit uncomfortable with all the people staring at her, so she just decided to sit down and take out her books for first period. Soon after, the students filed in and took their seats, a few still glancing at her every few seconds. Gokudera had also moved away and was sitting at his desk, feet up, but she knew he was still glaring. Like it ricocheted off the wall in front of him and went straight for her.

Tsuna sat down next to her and she knew he was going to ask questions. "What was that all about? You stood up to Hibari-san? Wow, that takes guts! I mean, anyone could try to do it, but they'll just get beat up…"

Arica just shrugged, like she had to deal with this every day, which in a sense she did. "That guy – Hibari – came to see what was going on since Gokudera was making a lot of noise. Both pulled out weapons and I stepped in with a bit of logic, to which both backed down and he left," she summarized nonchalantly. "Besides, he's not that scary to me; I've…seen worse." She wanted to say, 'I deal with someone like him every day so I'm used to it', but that would raise more questions she couldn't answer.

Tsuna stared at her in awe, before realizing something. "What was Gokudera-kun doing that was making so much noise?"

She glanced over at the delinquent in question and their eyes met briefly. She stared for a bit, trying to figure out why those green eyes seem as familiar as the hair. For a split second she spaced out and a brief flash of two children in the midst of what seemed like a staring contest shot past her mind's eye. It was all a blur and the children were merely recognized as such because of the small size and outlines of the blurry blobs. In the blink of an eye, it was gone and she came back to the present.

Gokudera was sending her a message saying, 'Don't you dare tell the Tenth.' _Why should I listen to him when he just yelled at me for no apparent reason?_ Arica thought in disbelief. _He can't do something like that and think that I'll just sit here and take it._

"He was yelling at me for no apparent reason," she answered finally. She knew the reason, but she didn't feel like breaking up another fight at lunch or anything. "But I don't really pay much attention to it. He's just a bit overprotective of you, it seems. Don't be mad at him or anything, okay?" she added with a reassuring smile. Tsuna hesitated before deciding not to question her any further, which she was really grateful for.

The day passed much like the previous and lunch came quickly. They went to the spot on the roof and this time Tsuna had remembered his lunch, which was good but now she had no one to give hers to. She sighed and opened the box to see the usual note from Ricardo. _Enjoy your day and the food; it was made with a lot of love! – Rick _3. Scoffing, Arica crumpled it up and threw it away like the previous day. She stared at the food for a second before putting it back in her bag.

"You're not going to eat?" Yamamoto asked with a frown, probably thinking about the previous day. "You shouldn't skip meals, you know. It can be unhealthy."

"I'll be fine, thanks for your concern though," she said, smiling. How can this nice, caring guy be friends with someone like Gokudera Hayato?

"That goes for you too, Gokudera," the jock said, turning his attention to the moody teen. "We almost never see you eat lunch. Are you getting enough to eat?"

"Tch. Shut up, yakyuu baka!" he snapped, turning his head to look the other way. "I don't need your concern. I'm fine!" Then his stomach growled. Yamamoto laughed and Tsuna tried to hide his own smirk while Gokudera blushed and stared at his lap, hiding his face behind the curtains of silver hair that fell forward as he ducked his head.

This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her food, but Arica hesitated. The guy obviously hated her and would shoot down her offer immediately. But maybe this can make him trust her a bit more. She mentally shook her head. Why does she want to gain his trust anyway? Maybe it's because she was friends with Tsuna and Yamamoto and they were friends with him, so she wouldn't cause any trouble… Yeah, that's it. She wondered if this will be the only time she would see him blush…It was kind of cute.

Bringing her lunch back out, she hesitated a little before offering it to him without a word. He stared at it, and then turned away. "I don't want your food; I'm fine." That sounded like what Tsuna said the previous day, only a lot ruder.

Arica rolled her eyes, aware of the looks they were getting from the other two. Apparently, they wanted to see how this will play out as well. "Do you want me to take a bite first to make sure it's not poisoned?" For some reason unknown to her, the boy stiffened upon hearing the word 'poisoned'. "Tsuna seems to be fine after he ate it yesterday." This time he flinched, probably thinking, 'Why didn't I think of that before letting the Tenth eat it!'

His stomach gave another rumble and he turned to frown at her and she stared right back, not willing to back down from a challenge. After two minutes of the staring contest, he finally gave in and took the food with a scowl and a mumbled 'thanks', though he looked like he was about to choke on the word. The other two looked shocked at first but then smiled happily and dug in. She didn't know why, but a small smile threatened to break out on her face and she felt happy that he accepted it. By the way he ate, clearly restraining himself from stuffing his face outright, it seemed like he hadn't eaten in a while, or at least, not properly.

"Just a point of curiosity, why do you carry dynamite in your pockets?" she blurted as she watched him. Instantly, everyone froze and Tsuna nearly choked on his food in panic. Arica didn't know why she asked; she wasn't even thinking of it at that moment, but her mouth seemed to have formed a mind of its own. "If you can't tell me, that's fine," she added quickly with another prizewinning smile. Geez, how many of those was she still going to throw around? "Just curious."

"You don't have to know," the bomber snapped before going back to the food in front of him. Arica shrugged and leaned back on her hands, staring up at the sky. The other two looked a little nervous but slowly forgot the topic and continued talking about random stuff. The view from the roof was incredible and she could see the town spread out in front of them. The sky was clear, except for a few clouds here and there, a bird or two circling overhead. A sunset from this viewpoint would look amazing…

The day ended quickly and her friends said their goodbyes to her before heading home. Arica found herself even more reluctant to go home than the day before, but if she was late Ricardo would beat her again, and she didn't want a bruise upon a bruise or a broken rib.

She got home and looked around for any sign of him. Maybe if she played a good girl he wouldn't get mad. She didn't see him in the immediate vicinity so she started up the stairs. Like yesterday, he seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his chest.

"Where are you going?" he asked, arms wrapping around her waist carefully so he wouldn't touch the injury. How ironically thoughtful of him.

"I did look around for you, but I didn't see you, so I was heading to my room," she answered smoothly, grimacing when his hands strayed a little too low for comfort. "I'm tired so can I go?"

He pulled back and tipped her head back with an index finger under her chin. "And what, if I may ask, made you so tired?" he asked huskily while lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb, making her winch when he touched the bruise.

"School isn't always a walk in the park, you know. It takes a lot of energy." _Which I don't have a lot of since the only thing I ate today was an apple_, she thought.

"Well, this mission we're working on is even less of a walk in the park and you don't see me complaining," he countered, deciding not to believe her even if it was the truth. The bastard was just looking for a chance to beat her again.

"How's it coming along? Found anything yet?" Arica opted to ask, trying to steer the man away from his sadistic thoughts towards her.

It seemed to have worked when he frowned and let her go before starting to pace in front of her. "Nothing yet. The ring tracker still isn't finished; it'll take at least another few days, maybe a week or two. While a few on the team is working on that, the rest of us are trying to find information manually, using records, cameras around town and such. That hasn't turned up anything either, as expected since we don't have any pictures of them or even names. All we know is they're a bunch of kids living in Namimori."

Arica frowned, biting her lip. Why were they sent on such an important mission with so little information? Her father orchestrated this, but that was all he had? It was true that they, the Rinaldi Famiglia, weren't a very famous or big family in the mafia world – Ricardo's family, the Mariani Famiglia, was even smaller. Maybe that's the reason they had so very little information on one of the biggest families out there. The small fries didn't get all the important news and happenings.

"Why can't I help?" she suddenly asked, making the older teen stop in his tracks to look at her, his brow quirked in surprise. She felt frustrated that she had to move here with these bastards only to sit around and do nothing. As far as Arica was concerned, she was the more intelligent one between the two of them, maybe even in this house. "Since they're a bunch of kids they should be going to school, right? I can help look for anything suspicious around school or ask some people if they noticed anything strange."

The blonde seemed to think about it for a few minutes. It was a logical offer and solution, but Arica doubted he would agree, even when he needed the help desperately. That man's pride is going to get him killed some day. There was honestly no reason for him to think about it for so long, so she figured he was only thinking up some excuse for her _not_ to do it.

"That won't be necessary." She knew him too well. "You might get hurt if you do encounter them, maybe even killed."

"Wouldn't that make things easier for you?" she shot back, cursing herself afterwards. She had control of everything but her mouth it seemed. "I will most likely die by your hand much quicker than at the enemy's."

A sinister smirk crept onto his lips. "Touché," he relented, not even bothering to deny it, which didn't improve Arica's opinion of him at all. "Alright. But if you get hurt, I'll kill you. If you get killed, I get to tell your corpse 'I told you so'. Agreed?"

Arica glared at the outstretched hand before finally grasping it. "Agreed," she said with a scowl when he squeezed harder than strictly necessary. If that formed a bruise she swore to the gods she was going to poison him or kill him in his sleep. That reminded her… "I have to go out for a while; I need to buy some things."

He eyed her skeptically for a minute before nodding, "Fine, but if you're not back in an hour, an hour and a half at most, you better be prepared for your punishment." He walked off towards the study where his subordinates were still working, leaving the grimacing girl to go change before heading out.

Since they moved to Namimori only a week ago, Arica didn't know which stores sold what. She had reached the market after a few minutes, but had no idea where she would find what she was looking for after that. Having no other choice, she walked through the district slowly, peeking into every shop along the way to see what they had to offer. She passed an ice-cream shop and paused before buying a plain vanilla cone – she forgot to eat before she left the house. After another fifteen minutes of wandering she finally found a cosmetics store that wasn't ridiculously expensive. Not that she didn't have the money, but there's no use in flaunting your riches about just because you could.

After buying what she needed, Arica glanced at the watch on the shop's wall and saw she still had a little less than an hour before she was expected home. She decided it wouldn't hurt to explore a little more, so started walking further down the street. The sun was setting in the distance, but there were still lots of people out and about. Her thoughts drifted back to the school roof and the sunset, leaving her to sigh in disappointment. The school was in the complete opposite direction and she'd never make it there and back home in time.

She paused in her tracks when she felt a presence behind her. Glancing around subtly, she saw no immediate danger, but caught sight of a few men standing a few feet away across the street. They seemed out of place and one glanced in her direction before looking back at his buddies. Great, she really didn't have the time for this. She ignored them and continued on her way, but soon found herself quickening her pace when she realized the men were following her. Turning a few corners to try and throw them off turned out to be useless as she ended up at a dead-end. She turned just in time to see the three men round the corner, successfully blocking any escape route.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys," one said, obviously the leader as he looked taller than the rest, with a few crude tattoos scattered over his muscled arms. His ears were pierced in several places and his hair was styled into a miniature Mohawk. His two friends didn't look much different, although they had less muscle and tattoos. All three looked equally stupid, though. "A real beauty this time. What's your name, sweetheart?"

Arica watched them calmly, not in the least intimidated. What was a bunch of hoodlums compared to the mafia? "And what would that matter to you? Trying to make small talk because you think it'll make me skittish the longer you hold off?" she asked in a mocking tone, her right foot moving slightly behind her left. It was common knowledge that, when being cornered by a group of gangsters, especially when you're a woman, you shouldn't go running your mouth. Well, Arica was no ordinary woman, nor was she ever good at keeping her mouth at bay.

The leader growled and pulled a switch knife from his pocket, his minions following suite. "Looks like the little slut wants to be silenced." They chuckled gruffly and took a few steps toward her and she got ready for the attack. Before she could arm herself, however, there was an explosion behind the men and a cloud of smoke billowed up.

They could be heard coughing and cursing before being cut off by another voice. "Leave now, or get blown to hell." Arica knew this voice. She was stunned; this was the last person she would expect to find at a moment like this. What was he doing here? Well, he was a delinquent, so far as she could tell, and this seemed to be a place they hung out.

The smoke cleared to reveal the three men sprawled on the ground, probably knocked over by the force of the bomb. In the entrance of the alley stood none other than Gokudera Hayato, a cigarette hanging from his scowling mouth and two handfuls of dynamite in his grasp. He looked pissed.

**A/N: **Ooooh, they're gonna get it now, hehehe. So that's chapter 3 for you and I know some of you might think, 'this is going nowhere', but you're WRONG! Just hang in there. These chapters and events might seem unnecessary and so on, but I assure you, everything I write has a purpose in this story, even the weather. No seriously, the weather is like one of _the _most important elements. You'll see what I'm talking about when it gets there *smirk*.

I have no idea when chapter 4 will be up, because my final exams are starting in like less than a month, so yeah. I'm in grade 11 so that exam is the most important one of my life. I don't know if it works the same all across the world, but I live in South Africa so…yah. But I'll do my best to keep you all satisfied *insert Gai-sensei thumbs-up/grin here* (any Naruto fans? Anyone? Anyone?). I'll try and post one or two more before the exams start.

Until next time, ciao ciao and please review?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay! (And any other characters you don't recognize.)

**A/N: **Yay, I could update another chapter! I have a sleepover at my friend's house so I could use her internet, kufufufu. Nah, she gave me permission so it's not all that evil… Anyway! Thanks for the follows and reviews!

**laffup: ** thanks for pointing out that 'winch should be wince', I'm so sorry about that! My spellcheck isn't really all there you know. The other day it told me it's not 'you are' it should be 'you am', and I was like wtf o.O so yeah, sorry about that. And also about the yakuza thing, I know it's soooo cliché but I wanted people to wonder what she'll do since she doesn't have a weapon and all that, and why I explained about the one foot behind the other and so on. Oh and an easy way for her and Goku to run into each other – that's important. Like I said before: everything I write about is important, no matter how small or cliché it is.

**chibianimefan18:** of course I'll continue updating! I don't give up on something very easily and I've already figure the whole story out so there's no stopping me hehe. (I'm thinking about a sequel if this one goes well; I already have the plot for it too) Love your name btw; I _adore_ chibis – they're just so darn cute!

Now that that's over with, on with the show!

Chapter 4

Arica stood back and watched the scene unfold. Seeing that the men weren't about to leave anytime soon when they got up and readied to attack him, the bomber brought his dynamites to his mouth, lighting them with the cigarette. He threw them at the three men who now realized what they had gotten themselves into, cowering in fear. A huge explosion shook the ground and the buildings surrounding them, making Arica shield her eyes from the smoke, heat, and debris.

When it settled down, she peeked over her arm before lowering it to look at the small crater in the ground, the three men lying unconscious inside it, their clothes smoking. Arica walked forward to get a closer look at them and felt a little relieved to see that they were still breathing. At least they wouldn't have to deal with dead bodies – not that she would've been sad to see them go. The silvette was still at the entrance, now leaning against the wall and enjoying his smoke.

"Stupid woman," he scoffed as she neared him. "Don't you know better than to run away when there's trouble about? Now I had to waste perfectly good dynamite to save your ass."

"I'm not a coward," she told him calmly, watching the puffs of smoke drift away on the light breeze. She ignored his comment of 'No, just stupid', and added, "Besides, I didn't ask for your help. I could've handled it on my own."

"Che, yeah right," he retorted after looking her over with a raised eyebrow. She didn't have a weapon anywhere in sight! How could she have taken on three grown men twice her size? He dropped the finished cigarette and stepped on it before pushing away from the wall and walking away from her. "Consider this repayment for the lunch."

She didn't know where the words came from, but once again her mouth found a mind of its own just like at lunch when she blurted out that question to him. "Just accepting it was repayment enough." Gokudera froze and glanced over his shoulder in question. She shrugged and elaborated, "Tsuna told me you never accept anything from anyone, not even chocolates from your fans on Valentine's Day. So by accepting the lunch, it showed me that you were already starting to accept me into the group."

After another moment of silence he started walking again. "Don't make it sound like I like you or anything. Next time you won't be so lucky. You're on your own." Then he disappeared down another alley and Arica was left alone with the still unconscious bunch behind her. She wasn't sure what to think but couldn't stop a smile from forming.

Suddenly noticing how dark it had gotten, she rushed back the direction she had come and saw the time on a wall clock inside a now closed shop. _Damnit_, she only had five minutes to get home! The streets were nearly deserted so it was easier to sprint all the way back home when she didn't have to worry about bumping into people. She reached the front door and literally fell into the house, her legs and lungs were burning and the cold tiles were a pleasant welcome to her hot skin.

She didn't even notice Ricardo standing in front of her until he spoke. "Ten seconds. Nice."

"Try not to sound too disappointed," Arica panted, trying to catch her breath. "If it makes you feel any better, I was attacked in town by a bunch of hoodlums."

"Why would that make me feel any better?" he said, the scowl prominent in his voice since she still didn't have the strength to look up at his face. "Do the blades need cleaning? I don't want you to get an infection."

"No, it's fine; I didn't use them. One of my friends from school was close by and interrupted before I could do anything," she assured him, finally pushing herself up to a standing position.

He gave her a curious look as he spoke, "Oh? Well, maybe I should meet these friends of yours; they seem very…interesting."

Arica grimaced as she thought how much different Tsuna, Yamamoto, and even Gokudera was from Ricardo. She also didn't want to risk the chance of them getting involved with Ricardo and the mafia. Who knows what he'll force them into doing if he saw some potential in any of them. This brought her back to Gokudera and his bomb slinging skills. Yes, Ricardo would definitely drag him into something.

"No thanks," she answered and pushed passed him to the kitchen to see if everything was set for dinner. It was something to keep her busy and out of his clutches. "They're nothing special, really. It was just luck and the element of surprise that he was able to beat them." That wasn't anything near the truth, but she felt a strong sense to protect the bomber from this man – all of her new friends if it came to that. "And you don't need to worry about anything; he hates my guts," she added before he could say anything else about her 'whoring herself out to other men', like he had put it the previous day.

He left her alone after that and she kept herself busy helping the cooks and even doing some homework, and thinking about the mysterious silver haired, green eyed bomber.

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Hayato collapsed on the couch it the living room of his small apartment, took out a cigarette and flipped on the TV. He leaned his head back against the couch, taking a long pull in hopes of clearing his mind as he closed his eyes.

_What's going on?_ He's been feeling strange ever since that stupid woman showed up at their school. A new student never fazed him in the slightest – he never even cared to remember their names. But when the teacher said her name it was like someone had slapped him wide awake and _forced_ him to notice her. Of course, he tried to fight against this feeling, but eventually he had to give up. It was made even worse when his boss invited the stupid woman to sit with them.

He has never had these feelings before in his life and it made him feel lost, confused and uncomfortable. He absolutely hated it, thus he hated that girl. Today he had threatened her, something he would never do to an innocent bystander, least of all a woman, but when he saw her, something just snapped and it was like he didn't have control over his body's actions. He told her to stay away from Juudaime, but was that really the person he wanted her to stay away from?

She made him uncomfortable – or at least that's what he thought the feeling was – so he labeled her as some sort of threat. She looked too petite and fragile to be a spy for the mafia like he would've thought, but then again those are the sort they thought would be least suspected of the job. The bomber thought back to what the girl had said earlier: 'I could've handled it on my own.' That was enough to send off alarm bells in his head, but he just couldn't imagine her picking a fight with those guys, unarmed no less, and win. He had learned she had a smart mouth, so she was most likely just trying to seem less pathetic than she looked.

Then there was the lunch. When she gave her lunch to the Tenth on that first day, Hayato didn't know what he was feeling. His emotions were all jumbled up, and only a few he could identify: irritation, anger, protectiveness, reluctance, fear. He should've made sure the food was okay before he let his boss eat it, but he was too confused by his emotions, trying to understand why he was feeling that way, to react properly. There were a bunch of other feelings, but he didn't recognize any of them.

'_Just accepting it was repayment enough_.' What the hell did that mean? Even after her explanation he still didn't understand it. Why did she have to say it in that way; it sounded way too mushy for his tastes. Then again, he remembered that small spark, deep, deep, _deep_ down inside that he felt for a second after those words. A spark that suggested he felt happy that she was happy. But that's ridiculous; he hated her! Whatever he told himself, though, deep down his subconscious told him that this feeling had been a constant one in another lifetime or something.

The Vongola Storm guardian gave a frustrated growl as he pulled at his hair; he was so confused! He vigorously scratched at his head, like he could claw the thoughts from his mind. He turned off the TV since he wasn't even paying any attention to it and stood, entering the bathroom and turning on the shower. Once he had stripped, he let the hot water wash over him in hopes that it would wash away the thoughts and stress since smoking didn't seem to work. He placed his arm against the wall and leaned his forehead on it while the water pounded his back, his fists clenching.

Arica D'Angelo. That name…it stirred something deep within him, but he didn't know why… something vaguely familiar, but the more he tried to figure it out, the more it seemed to drift away, like the memory was there but every time he reached out for it, it would scoot away just a little further, taunting him. He stood like that for a while, trying in vain to figure out his thoughts and feelings until the water ran cold.

Sighing, Gokudera stepped out and dried himself before pulling on a pair of boxers and t-shirt. He made his way to the fridge to find some leftovers from the previous night and heated it up for dinner. After eating he decided that there was nothing that could clear his thoughts, except maybe sleep. If he dreamed about that stupid woman, he was going to commit suicide.

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Two days had passed since the day Arica was threatened by Hayato Gokudera. It was also the day he saved her – though she didn't really need it. That day she had also agreed to help with Ricardo's mission.

Technically, it was both of their Famiglias' mission, assigned to them by her father, but Ricardo insisted that he could handle it on his own. She didn't doubt this, but it'd go much faster if he had help. This didn't mean she _liked_ to help him; far from it! It just meant that, in the end, she might get what she wanted if things worked out. Arica had also noticed Andrew and a bunch of her other subordinates acting a bit strange, but she didn't ask and Ricardo didn't seem to notice or just didn't care at all.

Today, they had a pop-quiz in math. Arica could tell Tsuna was about to faint in the seat next to her, he was so nervous. He was mumbling about 'not expecting this' and 'not being able to have studied.' _Poor kid_, she thought as she patiently waited for the teacher to hand out the question sheets. Math was one of her better subjects; it came almost naturally to her so pop-quizzes like these didn't bother her at all.

The test started and Arica slowly made her way through each question. She had to keep the frown from her face as she noticed how easy these problems were! She finished with about fifteen minutes to spare, so decided to see if anyone else was finding it as easy as she was. Apparently not.

Tsuna, the poor guy, was chewing on his pencil like a beaver, still stuck on the first page it seemed. The sweet and friendly girl Tsuna had a crush on, whose name Arica had found out was Kyoko, looked almost done, but seemed to have trouble with one particular problem. Yamamoto was scratching his head with his pencil, seeming in deep concentration. The rest of the class's occupants didn't look any better, half of them almost mimicking Tsuna's behavior. The only one that really stood out to Arica was the silver haired teen near the front.

Gokudera was leaning back in his chair like always, his hands behind his head and one leg propped up on the table. His eyes were closed as far as she could tell and she wondered if he was actually sleeping. The teacher, who had also noticed this, paused at his desk while making his rounds. He stared at the test on the teen's desk for a minute before scowling towards the boy and walking on.

The bell finally rang for second period and the tests were gathered with a promise that they will be returned on Monday. The entire class heaved a sigh of relief because the test was over with, but then came the dread as they thought of their marks. No one had time to discuss it as the next period began.

On the rooftop at lunch, the four friends sat and enjoyed their food, even Arica. Andrew had started making her lunch for her when he noticed how hungry she was all the time at dinner. He had asked her about it the previous day and she had answered honestly. As expected, he was mad at first and this resulted in an hour lecture of responsibility to one's self and healthy eating habits, but eventually he calmed down and gave her reassurance that the lunch she finds in the morning would be fine to eat.

"So how was the test for you guys this morning?" asked Yamamoto lightly while taking a bite of his usual sushi.

"Too easy," two voices answered simultaneously before both stiffened and glared at each other. The sparks flying in the air between them was almost visible.

Tsuna, not wanting his two friends to start attacking each other – be it verbally or physically – gave a nervous laugh before saying, "Wow, Gokudera-kun and Arica-chan are really smart; as to be expected! I wish I was that good in math; the test was a monster!"

Yamamoto quickly nodded his agreement with a large goofy grin on his face. "I'm going to fail this one for sure, haha!" he laughed while rubbing at the back of his neck.

The bomber's attention immediately shifted to the smaller male. "I think Juudaime has been spending too much time with that baseball idiot." Now he glares at said baseball idiot. "His aura of stupidity must be clouding the Tenth's brilliant mind!"

"Ah, c-calm down, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna squeaked nervously, a bright blush spreading over his cheeks. "I don't think that's even possible…!" Arica had to agree with that. The things that delinquent could think of… "I'm just really bad at math."

"I could help you out if you'd like," Arica spoke up just as Gokudera opened his mouth to say the same. "I really don't mind; it's not like I have anything better to do with my time. I just sit at home all day doing nothing, so I might as well do something productive. You too, Yamamoto." Anything to get away from that hell hole she was forced to call home.

"R-really?" the boy said, eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Arica-chan, I'd really appreciate that!"

"Ahaha, that'd be great!" the taller teenager answered, grinning like the idiot Gokudera made him out to be.

"Hold up," Gokudera interjected, glaring at the girl. "The Tenth already has me as his tutor, along with Reborn-san. There's no place for you as well, stupid woman."

She could feel her eye twitch and she glared back. "Who are you calling stupid? Calling someone stupid means you're just as stupid. And, for your information, one can never have too many teachers or too much to learn. We can even make turns. Don't you also have places to go and people to blow up?"

"Why you–!" He started to get up when Tsuna once again managed to prevent an all out war.

"Go-Gokudera-kun, Arica-chan – please stop fighting!" he exclaimed as he jumped up to step in front of the temperamental bomber, while Yamamoto placed a restraining hand on Arica's shoulder – gentle but firm – just in case she snapped too. Which of course she wouldn't; she had much more self-control than that. "You can both help me. Arica-chan had a great idea; you can take turns! This would be a great help to me and Yamamoto."

"She can tutor Tsuna every other day," Yamamoto added, his expression a bit more serious for once.

"Yes, then Gokudera-kun can get some time to himself for once," Tsuna said happily to the bomber, who then muttered something under his breath. Arica couldn't hear what it was, but he didn't seem too happy with getting 'alone time'.

"We have another test in science on Monday, don't we? You can tutor him tomorrow and I'll come over on Sunday. Does that work for you guys?" Arica suggested, glancing between the grumpy bomber and the other two boys.

Tsuna groaned and moved back to his spot. "Aah, science," the boy whined as he sat down to finish his lunch. She took that as a 'yes', and raised a brow at the other teen.

"Whatever," he grumbled before also sitting back down to sulk. That translated into a 'yes'.

Yamamoto laughed as he moved away from her, back to his carefree self. "Maa maa, Gokudera, no need to be sad. It's to help Tsuna after all."

"Shut up, you baseball bastard, I'm not sad!" he snapped back, and then went on about how Yamamoto shouldn't address the Tenth so casually and how much of an idiot he is. Everything seemed back to normal.

She watched the bunch bicker and laugh as she nibbled on a sandwich. It was strange yet fascinating how they communicated and acted. The bomber seemed in an element of his own – disrespectful towards teachers, rude to students, foulmouthed, and carried dynamite enough to blow up a small town. Then this small, kindhearted, and wimpy-looking kid comes and says a few words and the other turns docile as a puppy. He would immediately switch his words around so he could defend the smaller one's intelligence and actions.

They were very interesting indeed and she felt the need to stay close to them; that something will happen that she needs to know about. Something told her that these kids weren't completely normal and she had to know what that was about because she didn't see anything special in them – except maybe the bomber. Even though she felt they weren't normal, she didn't think it was a bad or particularly dangerous abnormal either. Then something occurred to her: could they possibly know anything about the kids Ricardo and herself were looking for? Did they know something about the Vongola? Have any connections to them?

Only time would tell, she decided as the day went on.

**A/N: **this chapter seemed a little short to me, but maybe it's just me? I don't know, but there it is! Arica, Arica, Arica *shakes head in exasperation* y u no realize they ARE the Vongola? Haha, well that's my fault I guess, since I control her and everything, but still! The next chapter is about as long as this one but we learn more about the mystery that is Arica's life *dramatic music*

So stay tuned for the next chapter, though I don't know when it will be posted, maybe next week. Please hang in there (^o^)/ and review! Ciao~


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay! (And any other characters you don't recognize.)

**A/N: (Please read) **Thanks for all the support you guys, it really motivates me to finish this story up =D, but… there's something that's bothering me and lowering my motivation a little, though. I don't want to sound mean or bitchy or anything, but there's just one thing I want to ask: please leave the plot to me? I know everyone has their expectations and their own standards and what they want from this fic, and I'm sorry if I don't live up to them, but this is the plot that came to mind and I'm sticking to it.

Honestly, I don't believe a story like this has been written before and I promise, no matter how cliché this might seem right now, there will be some unexpected turns taken in the future. Arica's past is not all about abuse and ignorance, even though it is a little dark, but this chapter will skim a little of that just to give you all the main idea – detail will follow gradually.

I invite you all to point out my grammar and spelling mistakes, give tips on how I can phrase stuff better or improve my writing style, etc. but please leave the plot in my hands, I beg of you. Otherwise I'll get confused and doubt myself and…yeah, bad things will happen to this fic. Thank you!

Okay, I'm done ranting, sorry about that, ehehe. I feel so guilty about ratting people out, but I just had to say that. Arica is based off of my own personality, so by reading this you'll sort of get to know me too, I guess… But anyhow, I've been keeping you waiting long enough!

Chapter 5

Saturday. Arica hated the weekend. It meant she had to look at Ricardo's stupid face the whole day. At least she had somewhere to go on Sunday…if he'd let her that is; she hadn't told him about it yet. Maybe he'll be in a good mood today since the ring tracker was nearly finished – 'Just a few more days' he had told her the previous day. Arica wondered what they were going to do once they took out the enemy because there's no way they can stay here… Well, maybe, but she didn't think Ricardo would take that risk. Groaning, Arica rolled out of bed and trudged over to her closet. The sun was shining brightly through her window since the maids had come to draw the curtains earlier.

Her room was large, but not too much so. The large window took up half of the outside wall directly across her bed and had black curtains. A portion of the remaining piece of wall was occupied by a sliding door that led out onto a small balcony. The room was only furnished with a queen-sized four-poster bed and a desk which stood against the opposite wall; pens, pencils and paper neatly arranged. The closet was situated on the remaining wall and, like the window, took up half of it. The bathroom door sat next to her desk, near the balcony.

Picking out a nice little indigo colored sundress and some sandals to match, she quickly got dressed and went to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. She looked at the dark faded bruise under her eye and decided to skip the concealer since it was the weekend and she wasn't planning on going anywhere that day. There was no use in hiding it while at home; everyone there knew how she was treated. Finishing up, she headed downstairs to see if there was anything good for breakfast.

When Arica arrived in the dining room, the table was laden with food, like every weekend. Arica didn't want to burst Ricardo's bubble or sound too full of herself, but she knew the kitchen staff only did this when she was home. On weekdays when the brunette had school, she wouldn't be able to stay long enough for a well-prepared breakfast like this, so they only prepared what the occupants of the house asked for that morning. When she was home it was an entire buffet.

No one else except for Arica, Ricardo, and a few other important Family members ate at this table, like Andrew, her 'right-hand man', Joshua, Ricardo's right-hand man, and two more close and trusted subordinates both from Rick's side. It's not like she didn't trust any of her other men – on the contrary – but she just didn't feel the need for them there; she wasn't a coward like Ricardo. She would rather have all her subordinates in the other dining hall should something happen. The rest of the united Famiglia had their own dining room/hall, because there were too many for Rick's tastes – approximately fifty all together, twenty-five in each Family.

"Boss! _Buon guerno_,"* Andrew greeted brightly, ignoring the glare the other boss sent him as he stood to pull out her chair for her. _He _so_ did that on purpose,_ Arica mentally sighed.

"Ah, _grazie,_ Andrew," she replied, smiling lightly at her most trusted subordinate and friend. He knew she hadn't fancied coming to Japan and would sometimes speak Italian to give some comfort. He just knew her so well, and for that she was glad. "Ricardo. Everyone," she added with a fake polite nod towards the other occupants at the table, who greeted her in turn before digging into their food.

"Arica. Are you going somewhere today?" the blonde at the head of the table asked before taking a bite of his pancakes.

The girl in question took a bowl and got herself some fruit, adding some yogurt as well. "Not that I'm aware of; maybe I'll change my mind later if I get bored here. Maybe I'll go look for some clues on the enemy," she replied, taking a bite of her breakfast.

From the corner of her eye she saw Andrew glance at her, his brow furrowed slightly. She darted her eyes to his for a brief split second, sending a look that said, '_Don't worry; I'm not_.' As she continued to munch on her fruit she caught the subtly relieved expression on his face. He had asked her about that one plan to escape that involved the enemy and she had confirmed that she had already thought of it. If she found the enemy and gave them over to Rick, everything would be ruined. Maybe that was why the others were acting so strange, now that she thought about it…

Arica knew he was up to something, and he knew that she knew. What exactly it was, she didn't know – at least not in full detail – but she knew it had to do with that freedom plan. She wondered if Ricardo or any of his men had noticed anything strange from her own people – they had never really been the most subtle or stealthy of people…

"Oh, that reminds me: I won't be home tomorrow for the majority of the day; I have to be at a friend's house," she informed him when she recalled her duty as Tsuna's temporary tutor at the question of what her plans were.

"Is that so?" he asked, feigning interest. "Who is this friend?"

"Tsunayoshi Sawada, but he goes by Tsuna. He's really bad at school so I offered to tutor him. We have a test on Monday and the poor kid could use the help." She saw the spark in his eyes and mentally rolled her eyes. "And don't jump the gun like you always do; I don't like him or any of the others that way and nor do they like me. He likes a girl in our class called Kyoko."

"Well, that's good then," Ricardo said, visibly relaxing as they continued eating. After he swallowed he turned his head towards his right-hand man and asked, "Anything new to report on the tracker, Josh?"

"No, Boss; everything is going as planned. Just a few more days and it'll be up and running. We're just installing all the needed programs now," the dark haired and permanently scowling man told the blond proudly. "We'll go over all the smaller details when it's done; should anything go wrong along the way, we'll be able to fix it though. No worries."

"Don't jinx it~" Arica muttered in a sing-song voice as she stabbed a piece of strawberry while trying to hide her amused smirk when the man turned a dangerous shade of red. Andrew hid his laugh behind a cough.

"As if I believe in such childish things, you little brat," Joshua growled, completely forgetting who he was talking to. He instantly shut his mouth in fear though as a fork impaled itself in the wooden table a mere centimeter from his left hand that had been resting on the table.

Ricardo was glaring daggers at the man, who swallowed nervously. "Use that tone on the lady again and you will lose more than just that hand, understood?" he said in a dangerously calm tone. Joshua nodded his head in a blur, blurting out a string of apologies, but Ricardo just ignored him, retrieved his fork and finished his food. The entire table was quiet and cowering away from the menacing-looking blond.

Arica may hate Ricardo's guts and he might hate her just as much, but there was one thing she could always be sure of: he would never let anyone other than him hurt her. As far as he was concerned, she was one of his possessions, not his equal like her father intended upon engaging them. One thing was for sure and everyone knew it, that the Mariani boss didn't let anything or anyone touch or come near his possessions. He might hurt her, but at least she was used to it by now and knew what to expect, unlike should any other person do so. And for that she was strangely grateful. Many times had one of his men snapped at her and tried to advance but Ricardo was seemingly always there to punish them before they even got within a few feet of her. She could protect herself, but he insisted it seemed. When he had said that he wouldn't be happy if those hoodlums had killed her, it was his way of saying he wouldn't allow anyone but him to do so.

Arica finished the last bit of her breakfast and stood to leave before being stopped once more by the subject of her thoughts. "Oh, Arica, could I ask you a favor?"

The girl gritted her teeth and hissed, "Do I have a choice?"

"No, not really," was the too happy answer. "Would you come to the study when you have some time? There's something I need your opinion on relating to the tracker."

She saw Joshua scowl and violently stab at his omelet upon hearing his boss' request. He was probably sulking because _he _wasn't asked to do the job. Most likely it was something important that needed a little brains and logic. Joshua was feared among the men in the house for his muscle, brute strength and intimidating presence, not for his intelligence or logical and rational decision-making. Ricardo knew very well that she had the entire day free, though. Sighing slightly, the brunette glanced over her shoulder at him and forced an overly polite smile which no one fell for. "I'll be there in about an hour; I still have some homework and studying to do." After receiving the satisfied nod, Arica made her way upstairs, Andrew following close behind.

"I don't like you helping that bastard, Boss," he muttered under his breath as soon as they were out of sight and earshot, but got no answer as they continued up the stairs to the third floor. The house was one of her father's mansions – he owned one in almost every major, important city or state – and had three stories.

The ground floor consisted of the kitchen, two dining rooms, a guest bathroom, and a game room that the younger subordinates used frequently in their free time. There was also a living room but it wasn't used often; Arica spent most of her time in her room and the others were too busy with the tracker. The second story held the men's bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. There were only ten rooms, each shared by a maximum of five men. The top floor was where Arica's room was, along with the rooms of Ricardo, Andrew and Joshua – all the 'important' people. There was also a small library/study where they were currently busy setting up the tracker, along with Ricardo's personal little lounge. She had never been in there but he had one back in Italy so she had a vague idea since she had been in that one once or twice. There was a large garden in the backyard, a pool, the staff dorms and a training room.

Arica entered her room and plopped down at her desk while Andrew closed the door and locked it to make sure no one can hear them when they were talking. The girl took out her math homework as the man came over and perched himself on the corner of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her start working. After a few minutes of silence, he broke it. "You still haven't reacted to my statement on the way here."

She started slightly, almost having forgotten her subordinate was in the room. Sighing once more, Arica looked up briefly to acknowledge him before returning to the problem she was working on. "I have to, Drew. It's the only way for me to get what I want – what we all want. I hate the idea as much as you do, but I don't have a choice. Besides, if I don't do anything to help or decline his requests then he'll get suspicious, send men to follow me everywhere I go and beat me even more if they report something and he takes it the wrong way. I wouldn't be able to put my plans into action either if that happens."

The twenty-six-year old man grunted in frustration but otherwise kept quiet. "Would you tell me what your plan is already? I have an idea too, so I'm sure it's the same as yours," he said again when the math book was packed away and the science text book was opened.

"Then you're probably right," was the only answer he received, along with a small smile. His building irritation faded away instantly upon seeing the quirk of the younger's lips, his shoulders sagging and his expression softening. It was one of her true smiles, not those forced or sad or fake ones she always gave. Andrew would bet his life that he was probably one of only a handful – if not less – people to have ever seen it. He doesn't even think her own father had seen it before.

Arica D'Angelo never smiled, at least not after that time she was sent to that lab. Even the ones she gave her friends at school were fake and held no real emotion behind them. It was a true miracle when she _did _smile, though, which was maybe once or twice a year. And that was the complete and honest truth, no exaggerations. Even her fake smiles were rare and her subordinates considered themselves lucky should they see that happen; they would be stunned beyond belief if it happened more than twice a week. The 'true smile' – as labeled by everyone who had ever witnessed it – could melt even the coldest of hearts with its warmth. Her father had once tried to use that as a trick to persuade the meanest of Mafiosi into cooperation, but it failed miserably as the girl would set her mouth in a permanent-looking scowl on purpose.

The reason she didn't smile like that all the time was because…well, she never had anything to smile about. She had been living and traveling with Ricardo for the past three years, meaning she had been shoved around, accused and beaten for the past three years. Her father had arranged a marriage between them when she turned eighteen in four more years; by that time Ricardo would already be twenty-one and well on his way to making his family a success. He had inherited the Mariani throne at the mere age of thirteen when his father had died and it was convenient, in her father's opinion, that he was so close to her own age so they could marry and thus unite the two allied families.

Arica D'Angelo also didn't have any reason to smile even before she started living with Ricardo. Before that, she lived with her father, Silvio D'Angelo, the Ninth boss of Rinaldi and that wasn't any better than her life now. He didn't care for her, he didn't pay her much attention either; she was a girl in the mafia, the only heir to the Famiglia, when he had wanted a son. He thought her weak and in the way, also one of the reasons he had been all too glad to ship her off with Ricardo. She doubted he would do anything even if he _did_ believe what she had to say about the blond. Silvio was a man for power and wanted as much of it as he could get before he retired or died, probably even in his grave he would be hungering after it. Power and status came first; everything else came last, even his own daughter. Arica was merely a tool to give him that power and he used her and ordered her as he pleased; her feelings about it had no place or say in anything.

And then there was _that _place. That god-awful place that kept people – children – in like caged animals. She still had nightmares, even after six years. It had been six years; it sounded almost impossible but it was true. Had she really been harboring those _things_ inside of her for so long? It had been nothing short of a torturous prison no matter what her father had told her to get her there. She still remembered the piercing screams, the searing pain, the dripping blood. So much blood, both from her and the other children that had been kept there. The screaming had nearly broken her – once again, hers as well as the others' – as well as the pain. Arica's hands curled into fists and she could almost feel the pain in her arms and body both during and after the surgery.

Andrew looked on anxiously as he saw the changes occur in the girl in front of him. The science text book was still open in front of her, but as he watched, her eyes grew unfocused and faraway. He had a suspicion as to where her thoughts had gone, but he really hoped he was wrong. Then his hopes were dashed when her brow furrowed and her hands gripped the book so hard that the pages crumpled and even ripped. Her jaw was clenched and she was shaking slightly, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Arica's eyes shut tightly and the book dropped from her hands and thudded to the floor. The man heard strangled whimpers from her throat as she clutched her head in pain. The pain wasn't physical, of course, only psychological torture to herself.

"Arica. Arica, come on, snap out of it," he said urgently, kneeling down beside the girl and shaking her shoulders lightly but firmly. When she didn't respond immediately, Andrew continued to speak. "It's not real, don't think about it; the only one causing you pain right now is you. They're not here, they're gone. Dead. You're not in that place anymore and neither are they; they can't hurt you anymore. You're safe and free now. Snap out of it!"

The traumatized girl blinked slowly, the focus swimming back into her dull green eyes. "Andrew?" she asked in a voice barely more than a whisper. She registered the concern-turned-relieved look on his face and looked around to see her book sprawled on the ground. "I'm sorry. I…don't know where that came from just now. But I'm fine now, _grazie_." Arica gave him another one of those heartwarming smiles before standing and stretching, glancing at the clock. "Well, we better get going; my hour is up. Ricardo wouldn't be too happy if I'm late."

Andrew stared at her retreating back for another moment before following and closing the door behind him. They moved further down the hallway until they came to the door all the way at the end of it. If he wasn't watching her so closely, Andrew wouldn't have noticed the brief pause when her hand touched the doorknob. She was more nervous than she ever let on. Without making their presence known, Arica turned the polished doorknob after taking a subtle deep breath and stepped into the study.

ENDENDEND

**Translations: **(though I think it's pretty obvious)

_*Buon guerno:_ good morning

*_Grazie: _thank you

**A/N: **I thought about adding the first piece of the next chapter to this one to make it longer, but then I'll have to do it with ALL the chapters I've written so far and that's not going to work so well, unfortunately. But I promise they get longer! I know this chapter probably presented you all with more questions than giving answers, but all will be explained in due time I assure you.

Oh, and this will be the last chapter for a while since my exams start Friday, meaning I won't be able to update for like, two months – the next one may very well be posted in January *cries* yes, that is a long time. But that won't stop you wonderful people from reading and reviewing I hope? Riiiiight? I'll still be reading your reviews even if I'm not able to post so you better review, or else I'll make Kyo-kun hunt you down and bite you death (evil smirk). Haha, just kidding, that guy's impossible to control. But seriously, I would _love_ to hear some feedback (gives puppy dog eyes).

Hopefully you'll have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and birthday – whoever's birthday may be in that time period. Until next time, ciao~


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